Karsh: Beyond the Camera

by David Travis

The renowned photographer reveals the stories behind his iconic images in this definitive collection of portraits and personal reflections.Portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh captured some of the twentieth century’s most influential personalities—from Winston Churchill to Muhammad Ali, Albert Einstein, Mother Theresa, and many others—in photographs that became as recognizable as their subjects. Beyond the Camera presents a chronological overview of the photographer’ work, paired with his own reflections about each image and the time he spent one-on-one with the subject.Edited by veteran curator David Travis, Beyond the Camera is a fascinating study of the photographer’s technical and stylistic development over the course of his career. Drawing on extensive interviews between Karsh and his long-time assistant, Jerry Fielder, it also shares a rare and intimate look at the man’s life from surviving the Armenian genocide to becoming one of the world’s most sought-after portrait photographers.“Famously reticent about his work, this is a rare invitation to learn the stories behind Karsh’s most famous meetings with great men and women, and of his aesthetic choices when met with the challenge of capturing them as they were.” —Publishers Weekly

Genres: Photography, Biography

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2012

Reviews

[Richard Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a photographer I love reading the words of the photographer about his photographs. One of the masters at work

[Karah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate seeing more of Yousuf Karsh's portraits. It disappointed me that Anna Magnani's portrait was not included. In hopes of studying the Magnani portrait, I borrowed this book from the library.

On page 96, there is a glaring error. It reads 'the pubic mind' when it is supposed to say 'the public mind'. I hope future editions correct this error.

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Famously reticent about his work, this is a rare invitation to learn the stories behind Karsh's most famous meetings with great men and women, and of his aesthetic choices when met with the challenge of capturing them as they were."
—Publishers Weekly

[David Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simple and concise mem0ories of classic photographs.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book

The short written pieces before each photo bring deeper meaning to the images themselves. Karsh's relationship with his subjects is the real story. The connections he made gave us some of the most amazing photographic portraits in history.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for portrait photographers.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

[Seth Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book attempts to look beyond the simple stories told about many of Karsh's most famous portraits. Because actual information from Karsh himself rarely goes beyond these simplified stories, much of the information is simply the thoughts of Mr. Travis. He does attempt to glean information from interviews by/with one of Karsh's principle assistants. Some of Travis' commentary I appreciated but other parts of it simply seemed to be conjecture.

Overall it's a decent book with somewhat small but good quality prints that allows you to meditate on Karsh's broad body of work.

[Paul Deveaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book of photographs from Karsh. The comments on each portrait from the photographer are not necessarily revealing in terms of technique or rapport with the subject. Just anecdotes about the session. The commentary from Travis is helpful but a bit academic for my taste.

[John of Canada · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photos were sublime,Karsh's commentary was helpful and unegotistical.Travis's were somewhat helpful and seemed very egotistical.